Portuguese water dogs all the rage, but they belong in a cage

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More and more aspiring pet owners see this dog in their dreams. But do they know that it's also the stuff of nightmares?

Americans love nothing more than a good fad, such as pet rocks or key parties or, most recently, Twitter. So it's no surprise that they'd go head over heels for the Portuguese water dog, the new Twitter of the canine world.

Presidential Pets

He is a clinging companion and an incessant alarm barker. This highly manipulative breed is distinguished by two coat types, either curly or wavy, which require extensive grooming, bathing, brushing, combing, detangling, etc. far in excess of the time that would be spent vacuuming up dog hair if it were to shed, which it does not (carrying dirt, twigs, dust, mats, etc. around with it until groomed).

Ever since the Obama family anointed Bo the country's First Dog, requests for Portuguese water dogs have been soaring, jumping by about 100% in the U.S. and 122% in the U.K. from a year earlier, according to officials at the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.

Soon, Portuguese water dogs will be as ubiquitous as the English sparrow or the snakehead fish ... and just as reviled.